Bhubaneswar: The general public will be allowed to witness the Odisha Assembly proceedings during the budget session beginning here from Tuesday.
The entry of visitors to witness the assembly proceedings was prohibited during the covid pandemic. Odisha Assembly Speaker B.K. Arukha who held an all-party meeting here Monday told newsmen that the general public will now witness the Assembly proceedings as being done during pre-covid time.
The press gallery will be also opened for the media men which were restricted during the covid pandemic.
The speaker’s decision to allow the members to participate in virtual mode due to illness was however opposed by the opposition BJP, although the other Opposition Congress supported the Speaker’s decision.
Arukh ruled that the unwell members could participate in the assembly proceedings through video conferencing mode.
Leader of Opposition Jaya Narayan Mishra however strongly opposed the Speaker’s decision to allow the participation of the members in virtual mode.
Talking to newsmen here, Mishra said the members were participating through video conferencing in virtual mode during the assembly proceedings during the covid pandemic.
He said since the prevalence of covid is no more in the state such practice should be stopped and the members should attend the assembly proceedings physically.
The Leader of Opposition argued that neither in the Parliament nor in Assemblies in other states the participation of proceedings on the virtual mode by the member is allowed.
He requested the Speaker to ask all the members to attend the session physically but the speaker rejected the proposal.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Niranjan Pujari after the all-party meeting told newsmen that out of a 15-point agenda, there was consensus on 14 points by the political parties attending the meeting.
The budget session of the Assembly will be a stormy one as the Opposition BJP and the Congress have decided to raise the deteriorating law and order situation in the state more particularly the killing of State Health Minister Naba Das by a cop in broad daylight.
The two Opposition parties have alleged that there is a deep-rooted conspiracy in the murder of the minister and held that the crime branch inquiry ordered by the state government will not unearth the conspiracy angle.
While the BJP has been demanding a CBI probe into the murder of the minister, the Congress is in favour of a SIT probe monitored by a sitting judge of Orissa High court.
The security arrangements for the budget session were finalized on Monday at a high-level meeting presided over by DGP Sunil Bansal.
Sources said a three-tier security cover will be made and nearly 30 platoons of police forces will be deployed for the smooth conduct of the budget session which will continue till April 6 next in two phases.
UNI